Portable lectern



April 26, 1960 J. A. B ROWN PORTABLE LECTERN '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 26. 1958 INVENTOR JZIMES H. BPOWM ATTORNEY April 26, 1960 J. A. BROWN 7 2,934,388

PORTABLE LECTERN Filed Feb. 26, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 2 72/1455 4'. BEoW/V sv dz z.

ATTORNEY PORTABLE LECTERN James Allen Brown, White Plains, NY. Application February 26, 1958, Serial No. 717,657

1 Claim. (Cl. 312-233) This invention is a portable lectern for use by the clergy and so constituted that it may be easily carried from place to place and used, as occasion requires, on any table or other suitable support not primarily intended to serve, of itself, as a formal lectern.

The advantage of the present invention is that a clergyman may have such a lectern available at any and all A atent j times and in place or places where the usual lectern furniture is not available. It has particular use during visits to the sickroom where a member of the congregation may be so confined as to render it impossible or impractical for him to attend the usual service in church.

The object of the present invention is to provide a portable lectern which may be carried by a minister or priest after the manner of a suitcase and opened at the place of use, to provide convenient lectern facilities and at the same time impart to the service the proper air of dignity and religious atmosphere.

Speaking generally, the portable lectern of this invention embodies an appropriate case having a suitable carrying handle and a hinged cover normally adapted to be locked in closed position so as to impart the appearance of a relatively small suitcase. Appropriate means, hereinafter more fully described, are provided so that, when the case is placed in horizontal position on any suitable support and the cover tilted to provide a book rest, those portions of the interior of the case which would otherwise be exposed, are concealed by peripheral walls which give a finished appearance to'the structure. This concealing of the interior of the case constitutes an important feature of this invention for it eliminates the appearance of a make-shift expedient which would be undesirable for it would detract from the dignity of the lectern.

Features of the invention, other than those adverted to, will be apparent from the hereinafter detailed description and appended claims, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

The accompanying drawings illustrate different practical embodiments of the invention, but the constructions therein shown are to be understood as illustrative, only, and not as defining the limits of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portable lectern embodying this invention, the same being shown in this figure in closed carrying condition.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the lectern open and the parts thereof arranged for the conduct of a service.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the cover of the case tilted back so as to show the interior structure of the lectern.

Fig. 6 is a fragmental perspective view showing a modified form of construction.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figs. 1-5 thereof which illustrate the preferred form of the invention, 1 designates a case of relatively shallow rectangular form. It is provided with a bottom 2, a front wall 3, back wall 4, and end walls 5. The top of the case is open but is adapted to be closed by a cover 6 hinged at the top of the back wall 4 by an appropriate hinge 7, such, for example, as the piano type hinge shown.

The cover 6 is of such size that, when in closed position,

it is adapted to completely close the open top of the case and rest upon a stop ledge 8, to position the upper surface of the cover flush with the upper edge of the case.

Secured within the case and lying against the bottom and the inner surface of the front wall 3, is a strip 9 to which is secured a hinge 10 and attached to this hinge is a frontpanel 11. This front panel extends for substantially the full length of the interior of the case and is provided at its lateral edges with triangular wings 12, shown in Figs. 1-5 as rigid with said front panel. The cover 6 is likewise provided at its lateral edges with triangular wings 13, each of which is secured to the under side of the cover by a piano hinge 14 as shown.

When in carrying condition, the cover is closed over the front panel which is folded downwardly into the confines of the case under the wings 13 which are folded inwardly into face abutting relation with the under side of the cover. These wings are held in this position by a resilient strip 15 which may conveniently be of wood, anchored at its center on a cleat 16 as best shown in Fig. 5. In this figure the near wing is shown as folded inwardly against the inner surface of the cover, while the far wing 13 has not yet been infolded as stated. When all of the parts are folded into the case as described and the cover closed, the article will resemble a suitcase. A handle 17 is mounted on the back wall 4 of the case and a spring latch 18, mounted on the cover, coacts with-the keeper on the front panel 11 to lock the case in closed position, so that it may be conveniently carried. The interior of the case is only partially filled by the elements of its construction, leaving sufiicient extra space therein to permit it to contain books, papers, and if desired, other articles, such as a communion service appropriate to use by a limited number of persons.

When the lectern is to be used, it may be easily and expeditiously prepared therefor by unlatching the cover and opening the same. The wings 13 are then folded into right angular relation to the cover, to be held in this position by the resilient strip 15. The front panel 11 is next folded upwardly into perpendicular relation with respect to the bottom wall 2 and it will be noted from Fig. 4 that the then upper edge of the front panel 11 will support the free edge of the cover and is provided with a finishing strip 19 which will form a continuation of the upper surface of the cover and give a neat and finished appearance to the resulting structure. This strip is provided with latch keeper similar to the one assoicated with the latch 18 of Fig. 1, so as to lock the parts in condition for use.

By reference to Figs. 2 and 6, it will be noted that the inclined cover 6 forms a convenient bookrest on which books or papers may be placed while the exposed, projecting portion of the piano hinge '7 serves as a stop to preclude the books or papers from sliding off of the cover. It will further appear from Fig. 2 that, when the cover is raised as stated, the wings 12 and 13 will effectually close the gap between the cover and the end walls 5 at the ends of the lectern, while the front panel 11 will similarly close the gap between the finishing strip 19 and the upper edge of the front wall 3, so as to completely conceal the interior of the case and produce a neat, pleasing and finished appearance to the structure when in use.

If desired any appropriate religious emblem or symbol, such as the cross 20 shown in Figs. 2 and 4, may be mounted on the exposed surface of the front panel,

After use, the lectern may be returned to the collapsed, portable state shown in Fig. l by merely reversing the folding operations hereinbefore referred to to produce a neat portable, relatively light case of pleasing and dignified appearance.

Fig. 6 of the drawings shows a modified form of construction. According to this embodiment of the invention, the case is provided with a bottom, front and back walls and end walls as in the previous construction and the cover is pivoted to the rear wall in like manner. However, instead of hinging the front panel, as shown for example in Fig. 5, the front panel 11a of Fig. 6 is free from actual attachment to the case and is adapted when preparing the lectern for use, to be removably placed in upright position within a channel 21 along the interior of the front wall 3. This channel serves to support a panel 11a in upright position.

Moreover, the wings 13a, which correspond to the wings 13, are hinged at 22 near the lateral edges of the front panel and the lower edges of these wings are adapted to seat in channels 23 extending along the inner surfaces of the end walls 5, slightly below the upper edges of these end walls. Thus, when the panel 11a and the wings 13a are erected in the manner described, the cover 6, from which the wings 13 and the resilient strip 15 and cleat 16 are omitted, may be moved in inclined position to rest upon the upper surfaces of the wings 13a and the front panel 11a, to render the structure ready for use in the performance of the religious service. When this service is over, the Wings 13:: are folded inwardly into face abutting relation with the inner surface of the front panel and that panel is then placed in the case so as to rest against the bottom wall thereof, leaving sufiicient space above this panel for the carrying of books, papers and other aids to religious observance of the particular service in hand.

It will be observed from the foregoing that both forms of the invention herein illustrated provide for complete concealment of the interior of the case when the lectern is in use. This is important for reasons hereinbefore stated, more particularly because it imparts to the lectern while in use a neat, finished and dignified appearance. This is made possible by the use of the foldable wings and the front panel to which I have referred and without 4 which the result referred to could not be satisfactorily obtained.

The lectern of this invention may be made from any appropriate material to produce a neat, conservative and serviceable structure.

The device of this invention is primarily intended to be used as a lectern for religious purposes but it may be employed in other connections if desired.

The foregoing detailed description sets forth the invention in its preferred practical forms, but the invention is to be understood as fully commensurate with the appended claim.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A portable lectern for the clergy comprising: a rectangular case having bottom, front, back, and end walls and an open top, a cover pivoted at one edge to the back wall adjacent the free edge of the latter and adapted when in closed position to completely close the open top of the case, a front panel hinged to and within the case adjacent the front wall near the bottom wall of the latter, said front panel being normally concealed within the case beneath the closed cover but adapted to be positioned in upstanding relation to the case and project above the upper edge thereof when the case is in horizontal position and the cover open, said cover being movable into an inclined position wherein its free edge loosely rests upon the upper edge of the front panel, wing sections hinged to the under side of the cover and movable int'o positions to close the greater portion of the space between the cover and the upper edge of the case and the front panel when the cover is in inclined position and resting upon the upper edge of the front panel, and additional wing sections carried by the opposite ends of the front panel to close the remainder of said space.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,813,793 Bullock July 7, 1931 2,014,176 Henderson Sept. 10, 1935 2,219,978 Caldwell Oct. 29, 1940 2,358,041 Williams Sept. 12, 194

FOREIGN PATENTS 29,255 Great Britain 1913 

